Tag Archives: Joemar San Pedro

Habit is very powerful. We might not be thinking about it most of the time, but it certainly affects major activities of our lives such as the time we wake up in the morning, how we get dressed, the way we talk and do business, whether we exercise or surf in the internet after work. Brian Tracy, a well-known author and expert in sales, once said that “95 percent of everything that we do is determined by our habits.” Moreover, according to him, the only difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is just that successful people have successful habit. Hence, if we want to be successful in life we should also develop successful habits and cut out those habits that are enjoyable at the moment, but can harm us in the future.

Of course, developing a habit or creating a new one is not very easy. It takes practice and self-discipline. I remember when I was still staying at my old apartment, I had to wake up at around 4am and travel at least an hour to get to the office. Prior to that, I had been waking up at 5:00 am since my previous workplace was near to my old apartment. That is why I had to make adjustments on my wake up time so as to arrive on time.

Waking up early at this time everyday was never easy. I remember the times when I forced myself out of bed when the alarm rang while many people around the world were sleeping soundlessly in the comfort of their own bed. I also experienced going into the shower with my eyes half-closed and a very heavy body. In the first few days, it was grueling. But I had to do it, otherwise I would be late and I was still a new employee then. However, after two weeks, it became less and less difficult. It became natural, and it seems that I had been doing it for a long time. That’s how I learned how habits work.

We have heard that it takes 21 days to develop a habit. Some say it takes 30 days. Whether it is 21 or 30 days the more important thing is to do it, to start that habit you want to have. Here I’d like to share with you four tips on how to develop a new habit to become a better and successful you.

1.Identify the habit you want to possess. Of course, it must be a good habit. A habit that you think can have a great impact in your life. Examine yourself. Better ask a person that you fully trust to give you a feedback on areas that you need to improve. For instance, you want to develop the habit of waking up early to have more time for yourself and to avoid a traffic when you’re on your way for work. Let’s say at 5:00am in the morning. Thus, you have to also sleep early the night before. Ask yourself the reason why you fail to wake up on time. Perhaps, you stay late because of watching your favorite TV show or you just there on your bed browsing your FB timeline etc. After you have identified these reasons, make a plan to cut off some time you spend on these things, and go to bed straight. Yes, it is difficult, but it is just temporary.

2. Do it for the next three to four weeks straight. If you fail, start all over again. Don’t get discouraged. That’s normal when you are developing new habit. Keep going until it becomes a part of you.

3. Reward yourself. You get to do things when you know that there’s a reward at the end. Every time you wake up on time, reward yourself a nice breakfast or a cup of coffee or whatever reward you like to give yourself. The reward may not be monetary in nature as long as it gives you satisfaction or the good feeling after you have done the habit you are trying to build up in yourself. This will propel you to do it more.

4. Just do it. The famous tagline of Nike is a three powerful words that summarizes the content of this post. No matter how knowledgeable you are about habit, even if you have read tons of research and study about it, action still has the last say.

To achieve success in every area of your life, develop the habits of highly successful and hard-working people.

Change yourself. Change your habit.

The development of successful habit is the key to long-term success. Hope this article helps you. Please feel to share this if you think that the information written here can also help others.

Many people want to save, but only few really save. All of us dream to have a secured future where we don’t worry too much about money. A future where we can travel to places we want to visit or relax in a resort somewhere for a couple of days. Some of us save to prepare for the uncertainty or we say for emergency. Some save for the education of their children, build their own houses and to finance their retirement. There are many reasons for us to save. However, not of all of us do save. In fact, we spend more than what we save. We borrow so much money that we find ourselves buried in a mountain of debt. Remember the formula:

Income-Savings = Expenses

Unfortunately, most people do not follow it. Instead, unconsciously they use this

Income-Expenses = Savings

The former formula guarantees wealth. The latter guarantees poverty.

I remember a story told by a friend to me about a husband who was planning to divorce his newlywed wife whom he discovered shortly after the wedding had a debt of more than a million on her credit card. The girl had been using her credit card to the limit that she didn’t notice the increasing interest. She had been paying at a minimum, and she had no savings at all. Her behavior about money put her marriage on a very shaky ground even before she approached the altar. This is a true to life story which tells us the importance of savings and avoiding debt in our life. We don’t want to happen this to us so in this post I’d like to share three tips to save for your future.

Set aside a portion of your income and put it in an account where you can’t see it. How much should you save? It depends. But a good start would be 5 percent. Every payday, get the 5 percent and put it on a separate fund before you start paying your bills. Do this for the next three months. Then increase it to 10 percent if you think you can afford it.

Live below your means. We have often hear this, but I need to remind you because the latest smart phones are on their way to the market. Be patient. Before buying something that’s a bit expensive, list down all its benefits and wait a month before buying to give you more time to think it over if this is necessary or not. Oftentimes, we get carried by too much excitement that results to impulse buying. Don’t envy others who have more things than you. Be grateful for what you have right now.

Be constant. As you start savings, you sometimes feel tired. That’s a normal reaction when you do something repeatedly. But, continue savings until the point when you are the one who is excited to put more money in your savings. It is rewarding to see your savings growing.

But, it doesn’t stop at savings. Saving is only a start to develop the habit. We also need to invest our savings. I will talk more on this in my future post.

If you have more tips to add, please feel free to write in the comment section.

In the summer of 2013, I biked to Mountain View to have a short moment with myself. I brought my ASUS tablet and a couple of self-help books. If you happen to be in Cebu, I suggest you visit Mountain View Resort at Busay, they have an amazing view of the city.

While reading, enjoying the view, and feeling the fresh air, I took a piece of paper and wrote my dreams on it. Two years after, all the dreams I wrote on that piece of paper became a reality. Well, I discovered that goal writing is very effective.

I learned about goal writing when I was already working. If only I had learned about it while I was still studying I could have done more. Yet, there is a saying “better late than never”. Brian Tracy, a well-known salesman whose rag to riches story inspired
me, says that only five percent of the population in the US have clear written goals and they are usually the most successful people in their fields.

So, why do we need to write our goals? Here are three reasons.

First of all, by writing your goals you tell your brain to embed them into your subconscious mind. Since your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between reality and dreams, the more vivid your goals are the more it will look for more creative ways to achieve them.

Second, by writing your goals, you can review them daily and make some necessary steps to accomplish them. It doesn’t have to be big at the start. As long as work for your goals daily even
how small and insignificant you think the action is, there will be a time you find yourself being surprised by the things you accomplish.

Lastly, writing goals gives you direction. That’s why the younger you are, the more you should develop this habit. You’ll never regret for the time you wasted because you didn’t know what to do. Now is the best time to write your goals for yourself, for your family, your career and for your future.